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Bali, Indonesia
Bali is a beautiful island located in the Indonesian archipelago that has attracted tourists from all corners of the world. This island is also referred to as the “Island of the Gods” due to its great cultural diversity, natural beauty, arts, as well as friendliness of the local population.
If you are looking to relax, reconnect with nature, have an adventure, or get an insight into the local culture, Bali is a great destination.
A cultural and historical perspective
What makes Bali special is that it is a Hindu enclave surrounded by a Muslim country. This has helped in preserving temples, shrines and festivals that depict the culture and ethos of the people of Bali.
The Mother Temple of Bali, also known as Pura Besakih Temple, is arguably the biggest and most significant temple complex on the island of Bali. For tourists, experiencing cultural events like religious ceremonies, shows, festivals and dances is astonishing, as they are the true representation of the island’s devotion and creativity.
The friendly Balinese are skilled artisans, as evidenced by their wood carvings, silver jewelry, textiles and paintings. Bali is an ideal place for all art lovers, especially in Ubud where tourists can get the most out of the island’s creativity.
Ubud is a place filled with art galleries, workshops, and boutique stores that offer exquisite hand-made crafts or one-of-a-kind unique pieces.
A Tourism Center With More Life
Bali has been on the list of many travelers for a long time, and that’s understandable. The island offers an extraordinarily wide variety of activities, from:
Water Activities: Water sports rage is perhaps Bali’s form of contribution to the world. With the vast clear waters in The island, Scuba diving, snorkeling and even surfing would be a hit. Several surfing sites exist like Uluwatu, Kuta, and Padang Padang which are among the best surfing locations in the world. Moving on, the coral reefs nearby Amed and Menjangan Island serve great purposes for diving and even snorkeling.
Yoga and Well Being: The island is famed for being a hotspot for yoga retreats and gyms. Close your eyes and picture a serene environment surrounded by rice fields and Ubud which happens to be perfect for practicing Does anyone say Bali? Isn’t there more? There are many spas and wellness-centers in Bali that offer services such as balinese massages or holistic treatment along with other great programs.
Places to Shop and eat: shopping in Bali would differ from luxurious high-end shops to artisan markets. Ubud and Seminyak markets offer the perfect location to do one’s handmade goods shopping, be it clothes, paintings, jewelry up to home decoration pieces.
Whether a traveler craves for a traditional Balinese, Royaal Balinese and many other hyper multinational cuisine, Bali will serve to all.
Great for a Honeymoon, Friends, family, or just an Adventure of a Lifetime.
Beach, nature, safe site, and rich culture allows families to enjoy this Majestic Island. Couples on the other hand can visit luxury spas, private pools and resorts with a great beach view, to add to their romantic getaway.
Adrenaline-filled activities such as Hiking, rafting and many more can be enjoyed by travelers who tend to be seeker of adventures. Ubud, blend of culture with nature, Seminyak, shopping and Kuta with bustling night life and thriving beach can be complemented by Amed, Lovina and Nusa Penida for a peaceful getaway.
Top Attractions in Bali
Bali, Indonesia is a dream destination renowned for its breathtaking scenery, rich tradition, and numerous places of interest. Whether you appreciate nature, history, beaches, or high adrenaline sports, Bali offers all that and more.
Here are some of the best places to visit in Bali:
Ubud
Why visit: Ubud is the art and cultural power of Bali that is surrounded by rice paddies, temples and traditional art shops. For those who wish to indulge in the spiritually of Bali and the art scene of it, this is the place to be.
The main attractions:
Tegalalang rice terraces are the best known for their picturesque beauty and all the greeneries. Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary: A sanctuary and cultural monument that is home to long-tailed macaques in their hundreds who are also interesting of being playful.
Ubud Palace: Historical site consists of traditional Balinese buildings and a collection of cultural displays.
Ubud Art Market: A center for local crafts, textiles, and other forms of art to be bought.
Uluwatu
Why go: It is located in southwest Bali where its high cliffs, beautiful beaches, and excellent surfing spots are. Uluwatu Temple is located in Uluwatu, it is a Balinese sea temple on a cliff.
The main attractions:
Uluwatu Temple: Uluwatu temple is one of the best temples to visit as its stunning sea views and sunsets are breathtaking.
Suluban Beach: A secluded beach that is hidden and well loved by surfers.
Padang Padang Beach: A lovely little bay with clear water, excellent for swimming and sunbathing.
Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple: The sacred temple serves as a perfect background for the ceremonial Kecak Fire performance which takes place in the evening, as the sun sets.
Seminyak
Why visit: If you are looking for luxury with a touch of shopping and entertainment at the same time, Seminyak has something just for you! The place boasts some of the finest hotels in Ubud along with high-class restaurants, advanced cafes and wonderful beach lounges.
The main attractions:
Seminyak Beach: The practice of tanning has become a popular activity at this beach, in addition to surfing and spending time at various bar and cafes lining the shore.
Potato Head Beach Club: An all-day beach party set off by good food, awesome beach, and good service. There’s a pool, too.
Bali Trick Art Museum: It is enjoyable experience for children as well as a source of wonderful photo opportunities for parents.
Seminyak Village: Exclusive shopping boutiques along with locally owned designer shops.
Nusa Penida
Why visit: Nusa Penida, located off the coast of Bali, is known for its stunning landscapes. It is also known for its impressive cliffs, pristine beaches, and crystal-clear water, making it ideal for a day of exploration.
The main attractions:
Kelling King Beach (T-Rex Beach): a viewpoint in the shape of a t-rex dinosaur head.
Angels Billabong: Perfect to swim, a natural infinity pool encircled with rocks.
Broken beach: a spectacular ocean made arch stone that seems natural.
Atuha Beach: A white sand beach at a cliff base with great privacy.
Mount Batur
Why go: Mount Batur is an active volcano set in the central part of Bali. One of the highlights of this island is taking a trip to its peak and seeing the sun rise there. Its breathtaking views of the Batur lake are accompanied by a beautiful picture of the volcano’s caldera.
The main highlights include:
Mount Batur Sunrise Trek: This has to be one of the more popular treks offering sunrise views from coal. The trek is also equally rewarding.
Batur Lake: The perfect place to rent a boat or just soak in hot springs after a strenuous hike.
Tanah Lot
Why go: The Tanah Lot is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bali built on a rock surrounded by water. It is a beautiful temple and is most visited for its stunning views of Bali during sunset.
The main highlights include:
Tanah Lot Temple: This temple is quiet but surrounded by some scenic places and is perfect to visit during the golden hours.
Sunset View: This is an awesome place to enjoy the sunset.
Canggu
Why visit: In Context, Canggu is famous for its nofuss environment, good surfing spots and a developing digital nomad community. It has modern coffee shops, yoga spaces and several boutique facilities.
The main attractions:
Eco Beach: A well recognized sport around surfing, unwinding and the upbeat offers of the beach clubs.
La Brisa Bali: It is a beach bar that has warm views and excellent views.
The green pastures of Canggu: An area that is conducive for cycling or long walks.
Lovina
Why visit: It is located along the northern tip of Bali and is widely called Lovina due to its quiet black sanded beaches and is also ideal for watching the dolphins.
The main attractions:
Dolphin Watching Tour: This is a bone ride watching the different species of dolphins.
Brahmavihara – Aram Buddhist Monastery: It is a great place that is very serene especially because of the scenic view it has.
Hot springs in Banjar: Medicine a trip at these natural beaches promotes relaxing when the hot springs are among the tropical gardens.
Jimbaran Bay
Why go: Suited with unwinding beaches and range of seafood dining places, Jimbaran Bay is a nice place to have dinner or lunch or simply spend the day by the beach.
The main attractions:
Jimbaran Beach: It is a quiet beach where one can have fun gazing watching the sun go down the horizon.
Seafood Cuisine: Sample delicious seafood on offer in any of the delectable restaurants located at the beach side.
Garuda Vishnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park: A cultural theme park with the enormous sculpture of Hindu God Vishnu riding the bird Garuda.
Amed
Why go: Amed, located on the north east coast of Bali, is well known for its serene diving and snorkeling sites that features the best of the coral reef and marine diversity.
The main attractions:
Amed Beach: Beach with quiet waters, appropriate for snorkelling and diving.
USS Liberty Shipwreck: This is a damaged WWII ship which lies submerged underwater water making it a famous site to scuba dive. USS Liberty was decked in colourful corals.
Teerth Ganga Jal Mahal: This is a magnificent water palace set amidst lovely soft greenery in patchy gardens with fountains.
Sideman-of-the-Beaton
Why visit: Sidemen is an area that is untainted and calm and the tranquility of the place makes it a perfect area to experience Balinese village life with vast rice field alongside Mount Agung.
The main attractions:
Sidémon Valley: This is a less busy and non- touristy site that is perfect for walks, biking and exploration of the rural areas.
Taman Ujung Water Palace: An ancient palace which is set in gardens and overlooks beautiful scenery.
Bali Safari and Marine Park
Why go: This park located in Ganyar is perfect for families and can be thrilling for youngsters. It houses in excess of 60 varieties of fauna from Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.
The main attractions:
Safari rides: The chance to view elephants, lions, and tigers in their native environment is fascinating.
Water Park: A great place to escape the heat with a slide and swimming area.
Bali – Where to stay on your holiday
Choosing the right hotel in the right location in Bali is crucial, and can be one of the most important decisions you make for your upcoming holiday.
Kuta, Legian and Seminyak have the largest choice of hotels for those who want to be near the action.
So which one is right for you?
Kuta, Bali
Hotels in Kuta Beach offer great bases from where to explore Bali’s most popular beach resort area, just several minutes’ drive north of the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban. Kuta is where to be if a good combination of sun, sand, surf and beach, with a lively nightlife and entertainment scene as well as a multitude of dining venues, are on top of your checklist for a memorable Bali holiday.
Kuta neighbours the nightlife hub of Legian and the fine dining area of Seminyak, within only 15 minutes away. Most Kuta Beach hotels have beachfront locations, and they come in a variety of styles and prices। Choose from five-star resorts with direct beach access, like those along Jalan Kartika Plaza, to trendy villas.
The most recent options are simple rooms with great facilities but simple designs. Highlights within walking distance include Waterbom Bali, the Kuta Art Market, Kuta Square and the Kuta Beachwalk dining, shopping and entertainment complex.
Legion, Bali
Hotels in Legian Beach come in a multitude of choices, ranging from hip four-star urban style hotels with wonderful rooftop venues overlooking the Legian skyline, to affordable private villas where visitors may relax and set up base in this famous beach resort area.
Legian also makes for a convenient location bordering Kuta Beach to its south and the sophisticated dining and entertainment area of Seminyak to its north. Legian Beach hotels provide a well-positioned central base from where you can enjoy a suburban coastal village atmosphere on Bali’s exciting south-western coast.
The nightspot-filled main street of Jalan Raya Legian connects with Seminyak’s fashion boutique-lined southern end, and the Ngurah Rai International Airport is within only a 20-minute transfer away. Most hotels on the coastline feature direct beach access, where guests may enjoy Bali’s dramatic golden sunsets.
Seminyak, Bali
Hotels in Seminyak Beach offer great places to stay in Bali’s most upscale beach resort area, which is only 15 minutes north from the popular beaches of Kuta and Legian. Most are luxury resorts and five-star villas that make for a memorable stay, ideal for honeymooners and couples, with a complete range of services and facilities that will also appeal to foodies, spa-goers and beach lovers.
Seminyak’s streets are lined with among Bali’s finest restaurants and nightlife entertainment venues, the likes of Ku De Ta and Potato Head Beach Club. Seminyak Beach hotels provide great retreats; most are beachfront hotels that provide direct access to the gorgeous sunset coast, and within walking distance to the main dining and chill-out spots of the area.
They are also ideal sanctuaries to return to after a day out on the beach, and great bases from where to explore the multitude of boutique shopping, fine dining and lively nightlife that the fashionable Seminyak neighbourhood is best known for.
How To Get There
Bali is one of the most visited islands in the world, and people from all corners of the globe come in. Getting into Bali is not complicated as the island can be reached from many foreign and domestic cities. Here are the best means of traveling to Bali:
By air (international travel)
The main international airport serving the island of Bali is Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS). This airport is located in Tuban which is about 13km away from Denpasar, the Isalnd of Bali ‘s main city . It has great transport links to several key cities across the world.
International flights
If you are coming from Europe, there are direct flights to Bali from hubs in Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. However, it is very rare to find a direct flight to Bali so one or two stops are to be expected.
Coming from the US: Unfortunately the US does not have any non-stop flights to Bali, Indonesia. It may be more convenient for the traveler to first fly to either Jakarta or Singapore and then book a separate ticket that takes them to Bali.
Coming from Australia: Due to the popularity among the tourists, a lot of Australian tourists are willing to travel to Bali and direct flights to Denpasar from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane run more than a few times every day.
Coming from Asia: Using direct flights, cities like harpong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and many others send flights directly to Bali without any hiccups or issues.
Flights to Bali:
Flights to Bali are often offered by a wide array of companies such as:
Indonesian Garuda
Singapore Airlines
Qatar Airways
Emirates
Cathay Pacific
AirAsia
Star Jet
Once you have touched the airport, taxis, private cars, hotels offering shuttles and many other things are available at your disposal so that you can go to the place you would be staying in.
By plane, which is the quickest and smoothest way, Bali is quite accessible from Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Medan. If you are already in Indonesia, traveling via plane to Bali would be the best choice for you.
Domestic Airlines:
Garuda Indonesia: Serves as the primary national airline providing multiple flights to Bali from a number of exploited Indonesian cities.
Lion Air: many flights to Bali Island from Indonesia as it is one of the largest suitable air carriers.
If you’re looking for affordable airlines to travel to Indonesia from the various cities located there, then look no further because AirAsia has got you covered.
Citylink: If you’re looking for an even more economical option, Citylink provides flights to Bali from some of the most major cities in Indonesia.
Sriwijaya Air: This airline also offers economical flights but more focused on the domestic variations, such as Bali.
The duration of the flight:
If you are flying from Jakarta to Bali, it will take 1.5-2 hours.
From Surabaya to Bali, it will take about 1 hour.
If you’re traveling from Yogyakarta, it takes about 1.5 hours to reach Bali.
Using sea transport (Ferries and barges)
If you are located on the nearby islands that include Java and Lombok, then you can reach Bali using a ferry or even a speedboat.
Traveling using a speedboat from Java (Banyuwangi to Gilimanuk)
The ferry port located and built in Ketapang on eastern Java connects with Gilimanuk which is located in western Bali. This route is highly popular among the tourists visiting and ports in Surabaya or Java
The journey Via ferry will take you around an hour and ferries operate throughout the day and only closer to night slow down.
When traveling via Lombok, farries depart from Lembar and head towards to Padangbai, The journey takes from four to five hours.
If you’re travelling from the Gili Islands, then speedboats can be taken from Teluk Nar or Bangsal, Both of these locations serve as great means of transportation since you’ll arrive at Padangbai in 1.5-2 hours.
Private boats and cruises: As an alternative, particularly in Lombok and the Gili Islands, peaceful voyages alongside speeders can be arranged, allowing awe inspiring views of Bali Sea to be enjoyed.
By Road: Bus or Car (through Java or Lombok)
If you would like to save up on costs while cross enjoying the view, then traveling by land would there an option available. From Java: By Bus: Buses can be used to travel from Jakarta and other parts of the city from Java to Banyuwangi located in East Java. From here, one can use the ferry in order to travel to Gilimanuk located in Bali.
By Car:
While it might be tedious, one can also drive from Jakarta to Balinese ideal location which would be by the ferry from Kakapung to Gilimanuk. From Lombok: By car: If you travel from Lombok to Padangbai, Bali, then a taxi combined with a privately owned car would be the way to go.
By Bus:
For those who are unable to acquire a taxi, there are also buses available that would directly connect Lombok to Bali and a ferry.
By Train (Damri from Java to Bali)
Unfortunately, there are no direct trains available that lead to Bali, however, there are options available, for instance taking the ferry that goes from in between Bakung, Janaka and Banjuwangi – There are bus terminals available that allow for a seamless transition.
Note The bus terminal might not be that visible, however If you focus carefully you would still be able to see it. Not only is the train ride beautiful but the myriad of islands combined with the grey waters surrounding it make for a one-of-a-kind experience.
Guidelines concerning entry into Bali:
Visa on Arrival: Almost all foreigners are granted Visa on Arrival (VoA) by the country. It allows you to stay for a period of 30 days but can be extended for an additional 30 days. Additionally, the passport must have been valid for more than 6 months after the date of entry.
Currency: There currency used by the people of Bali is the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). There is also an option to exchange money once you land at the airport although you might get a better deal outside the airport.
Bali Transportation : As you are in Bali, there is ease of transport as one can use taxis, private drivers, or motorbike rentals or even download ride-hailing apps such as Gojek and Grab. Alternatively, several hotels also provide shuttle services to their customers.
